Pardew Is Sure That Connor Wickham Will Be “Great” For Crystal Palace

The signing of Connor Wickham may still be some way off becoming official, but when speaking to press following Palace’s 1-1 draw with Fulham on Saturday, boss Alan Pardew sounded pretty confident that a deal was close to being done.

After reports surfaced of a bid being accepted for Wickham late last week, personal terms were set to be discussed over the weekend, with the 22-year-old ideally going straight into contention for an immediate place in Alan Pardew’s side for this Saturday’s trip to face Norwich at Carrow Road.

When pressed for an update on the progress being made by the club in relation to a possible deal, the Eagles’ boss said:

“Connor is somebody we feel will be great for the club and we’re trying to get that across the line.

“I don’t know what the progress is for that at the moment.”

Whilst it may not be categorical proof that the former Ipswich man is on his way to Selhurst Park, there mere fact that Alan Pardew was happy to reference the striker by name is a good enough reason for us to assume that an announcement over his move is only a day or so away. To do so without a degree of confidence over Wickham’s intentions would make little to no sense on any level, with the manager clearly sure that Connor has his sights set on SE25.

Some have understandably baulked at the figure being quoted for Wickham, whilst others have trumpeted it as a sound investment given his age and potential but in truth, neither side can argue their point with genuine clarity, given the uncertainty over Wickham’s readiness to adapt to life in the capital. Should Pardew have a positive effect on the still young frontman, few would deny that the fee has the potential to be looked upon as a bargain in years to come, but after failing to ever set the world alight in the North East, the jury remains firmly out for now.

One way or another, we should know where Wickam’s future lies within the next 48 hours.